Winter in Bermuda

[Palm Guy 37]

Hi all,

Was bored today so I just snapped some photos of palms near in my area. Its a chilly, windy, overcast day, with the high only being at 66F. I hope you enjoy.

Some Hyophorbe Verschaffeltii and coco behind.

Ptychosperma elegans at Ace Insurance Ltd. (I used to work here before my palm madness. I now wish I didn't quit.)

A damaged Syagrus outside XL Ltd another insurance company. Ace and XL are two competitors that share a quite beautiful block in Hamilton.  

[Palm Guy 37]

A large Rubber tree I think...

Some cocos overlooking Hamilton Harbour

A large Kentia  - Howea forsteriana and some quite yellow Dypsis Lutescens popping out of the bush

[Palm Guy 37]

Bacardi's Headquarters. Absolutely lovely fountain that lights up different colors and shoots water spouts at night. Lined with some Royals

another view of Royals

Other side of Bacardi

[Palm Guy 37]

The Med Fans are loving the cooler weather...

another view....

something for Kris

[Palm Guy 37]

Two cocos, three Hyophorbe Ver. and Dictyosperma album

another Dictyosperma album with med fan palm

Sabal Bermudana...our only endemic

[Palm Guy 37]

some large cocos and washingtonias outside fairmont hamilton princess hotel

one of the better Queen palms i've seen and Solitaire palms

Tall Coco and Spindle surrounded by Oleander

[Palm Guy 37]

a whole view of bacardi again...i like this place...cheers...

some more cocos behind Bank of Bermuda now part of HSBC

some Raphis

[Palm Guy 37]

some more cocos...

Bermuda limestone walls outside XL Ltd. These walls generally turn a nice grey and mosses and ferns like to lodge themselves in the porous stone.

view of the harbour and more eye candy for Kris

[bgl 3,142]

Michael,

Beautiful place and great pictures! I know I can get all this info via Google, but why not let us know how many people live on Bermuda, the size of the island and anything else relevant that'll make it easier for the Forum members to get an idea of what it's like to live on Bermuda!?

Bo-Göran

[Palm Guy 37]

grove of Christmas palms and Solitaire Palms in Bermuda limestone planter

a better view

some cycads...

[bubba 1,320]

We spent our Honeymoon at the Hamilton Princess almost 28 years ago. What a beautiful Island. My wife loved the shopping,I was already a Palm/Tropical plant nut and found it fantastic.Also enjoyed that wonderful Mid-Ocean course as many times as I could squeeze it in.I have never seen that color of blue Ocean water anywhere I have ever been.Spectacular.

[Palm Guy 37]

some Spindles in flower...

beautiful walkway between the two insurance giants... Xl on your left...Ace on your right

[Palm Guy 37]

cycad seeds anyone??

these guys look a lil sick...

Sabal Bermudana behind cycad

[Palm Guy 37]

large pots...don't know how much they are but I want one!

interesting architecture

[Palm Guy 37]

leaving Ace...

cleaning the roof...we use our roof to collect rainwater as there are no other water sources available as yet.

[Palm Guy 37]

American International grounds...

Kentia and Chinese Fan Palm

[Palm Guy 37]

This is right next to my favorite English pub...Robin Hood

Assortment of plants...especially like the Dwarf oleander...

some young Bottle palms

[Palm Guy 37]

young Archontophoenix of some sort...anybody know which one??

going to the parking lot...some young Royals

Kentia I didnt know was there before...it's seeding too...might have to come back soon!

[Palm Guy 37]

Kentia Seeds...

Anybody know what this is??? I think its a rather common Chamaedorea but don't know which one...

Pigmy Date, Florida Thatch Palms, unknown large species... and Bottle palm. Anybody know what the large ones are?

[Palm Guy 37]

I tried to get a better pic of the crown...i have a feeling it my be a Syagrus...not too sure if its naturally clumping or intentially planted as triple...

My foot for reference...

I have some seeds which are bean shaped. I'll take some pics of them later...

[Palm Guy 37]

Thats all for now guys....my fingers are tired...i have alot more respect for you guys who post so many pics...

Will get some more pics next weekend. I heard there are some Howea Belmoreana growing naturally at one of our old colonial forts.

[Palm Guy 37]

Michael,

Beautiful place and great pictures! I know I can get all this info via Google, but why not let us know how many people live on Bermuda, the size of the island and anything else relevant that'll make it easier for the Forum members to get an idea of what it's like to live on Bermuda!?

Bo-Göran

Bo, thanks for the compliments. I am quite jealous everytime I see pics of your place so that compliment means something! Bermuda is just a speck in the ocean...about 24 sq miles...it takes about 1 hour to get from one end of the island to the other...only about 65,000 people living here but growing quite rapidly...Very congested, I think we have the highest population per sq mile in the world...most telephones, churches and golf courses in the world. We are known for our pink sand beaches, Bermuda shorts and the Bermuda Triangle.  Only about 60 species of palms on the island and as you can see many of them are relatively common and the cocos aren't as good looking as some found in more tropical locations.

We've got a mix of a British colonial and West Indies culture. We love cricket...soccer is really FOOTBALL...but we also like the American kind and can't forget Rugby. Many Americans, British, Canadians, Indian, Japanese, Philipinos, Portuguese, and West Indian people come here to work so its quite a diverse place even though we're really small.  

Bubba, Mid-Ocean is one of the best golf courses on the island...Played there once, but never returned since now you have to go with a member and becoming a member means my pockets will  have to reach my feet. You should come back next year, I think Tiger is coming to play at Mid-Ocean. He was supposed to play last year but couldn't make it.

Cheers,

Mike F

[bgl 3,142]

Michael,

Thanks for all the interesting info, and the additional photos. I was on my way out the door when I posted the other post so didn't have the option of waiting for you to finish posting all your photos...

Anyway, 24 square miles - that IS tiny! Makes me think of one the questions in the Big Island thread: 'do you ever get rock fever'. Now, the Big Island of Hawaii is just over 4,000 square miles, so 'rock fever' is not exactly a likly ailment here I think. BUT, on a small island like Bermuda - is that something that people talk about or "suffer" from?

Bo-Göran

[Really full garden 1,492]

Michael, thank you for thinking of us on your Sunday.Bermuda seems like such a neat and orderly place.I think it actually is good to take palm pictures on a partly cloudy day.It is easier to see more detail - no glare. Michael are you from Bermuda?

                                                                                        Scott

[JakeK 12]

Great photos Michael! In my opinion, you live in one of the best climates around.

Just one question though. The dictyosperma in post #5 looks a bit funky, almost like the fronds are too heavy to support. Is that the true form of the species?

[Palm Guy 37]

Anyway, 24 square miles - that IS tiny! Makes me think of one the questions in the Big Island thread: 'do you ever get rock fever'. Now, the Big Island of Hawaii is just over 4,000 square miles, so 'rock fever' is not exactly a likly ailment here I think. BUT, on a small island like Bermuda - is that something that people talk about or "suffer" from?

Bo, most definitely...Many people go to NJ, NY to do cheap shopping just as an excuse to get off the island! It does help that its only a 2-2.5 hr flight to Toronto, New York or Ft. Lauderdale. You see the same faces everywhere!!!People are really nice most of the time...But you just have to get off the Rock once in a while.

[Palm Guy 37]

Michael, thank you for thinking of us on your Sunday.Bermuda seems like such a neat and orderly place.I think it actually is good to take palm pictures on a partly cloudy day.It is easier to see more detail - no glare. Michael are you from Bermuda?

Scott, no problem man. I've been wanting to post pics for a while so I figured today was the day. Many parts of Bermuda are neat and orderly, but our neighbourhoods are not so neatly arranged as you would see in North America...its usually a hodgepodge of lots randomly placed and the roads are really tiny and curvy...Very nice for motorsports. We also have some woodlands but nothing in comparison to what I've seen in Guatemala...I'll post some more natural garden pics for you in the next few weeks. My girlfriend is visiting so we'll be doing lots of sightseeing.

[Walter John 217]

Where are the humans ? I don't see anybody, it's like "I am Legend".

[Tyrone 2,103]

Michael, Thanks for the pics.

Those Kentia seeds are a long way from being ripe. They can take 3 to 4 yrs to ripen. However keep an eye on them. When they turn a brownish red colour and fatten up they are ripe. It will then take another 1 to 3 yrs for them to come up. A long time, but a beautiful palm IMO, worth the wait.

Your climate is just a little more tropical than mine. We can average that sort of cool day you had right through winter here. We can still get a 23C day, but it will average around the 18-19C through winter. If I could up it a couple of degrees to Bermuda's winter, I'd be laughing.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Palm Guy 37]

Great photos Michael! In my opinion, you live in one of the best climates around.

Just one question though. The dictyosperma in post #5 looks a bit funky, almost like the fronds are too heavy to support. Is that the true form of the species?

Jake,

You know, I have seen a few others on the island that have that heavy look to it. We also have some nice spreading leaf forms that have much wider leaf crowns/spread than the ones I posted.  To my knowledge, I only know of one species being on the island but anything is possible. Maybe this is a compact form?

I found a pic of Dictyosperma album var. aureum on the web with a similiar heavy look to it.

My Webpage

[Walt 1,233]

I enjoyed browsing through all of your photos, Michael.

I've checked many Bermuda websites but I think you have the best cross section of palm photos.

Those coconut palms (many of them) are much taller than I would have thought. Makes me wonder if Lethal Yellowing is on the island or not, and also the red palm mite that just recently arrived in Florida.

I took note of the Barcardi bulding. The below photo is of the Barcardi rum factory in San Juan, Puerto Rico (circa 1967) about a 1,000 miles south of you.

Many, many years ago I used to check Bermuda's winter time temps (which I know is your cool season) and it seems most days the daytime high and the nighttime low didn't swing more than 10 degrees due to the Gulf Stream current.

One question that has been brought up before here and on another board is whether the coconut palms in Bermuda set viable fruit. I know they set fruit because I've seen photos of them.

[Palm Guy 37]

Where are the humans ? I don't see anybody, it's like "I am Legend".

Lololol. I cleverly avoided them.  The weather was too cold for the smart Bermudians and its Sunday, so everybody was either sleeping or watching the game at the Pub. Very few stores open up on Sunday. That part of town isn't the busiest part of town either. I'll post some pics of the Pubs and Palms on Front Street for ya. That's a great combo aint it???

[Palm Guy 37]

Michael, Thanks for the pics.

Those Kentia seeds are a long way from being ripe. They can take 3 to 4 yrs to ripen. However keep an eye on them. When they turn a brownish red colour and fatten up they are ripe. It will then take another 1 to 3 yrs for them to come up. A long time, but a beautiful palm IMO, worth the wait.

Your climate is just a little more tropical than mine. We can average that sort of cool day you had right through winter here. We can still get a 23C day, but it will average around the 18-19C through winter. If I could up it a couple of degrees to Bermuda's winter, I'd be laughing.

Tyrone,

Thanks for the warning mate!!! I was going to dress in black and sneak out there every weekend! You saved me years of frustration.

Yep gets pretty cool here...we normally average 69F in January as a high and a low of 60. But Temperatures from 75-55 are not uncommon. Gulf stream helps alot!

Thanks,

Mike F

[merrill 406]

Hi, Michael:

We are all very grateful for the photos of your fascinating island.  I have questions about your only native palm:  What is the tallest S. bermuda ever observed, and what is the tallest now.  We really appreciate your beautiful thread.

Best Wishes, merrill

[bgl 3,142]

Michael,

I forgot to ask - is the entire island more or less residential, or are there parts of the 24 square miles that still has a rural feel/look?

Bo-Göran

[Palm Guy 37]

One question that has been brought up before here and on another board is whether the coconut palms in Bermuda set viable fruit. I know they set fruit because I've seen photos of them.

Walt, they definitely do! Whether they grow naturally in Bermuda might be a different story but with added help you can definitely use the coconuts that fall from local trees.  Thats how they got so many on the island. They are everywhere...all propagated from local trees as its illegal to import the fruit unless they are de-husked. I believe that's to ensure Lethal Yellowing doesnt get on the island. Although, I have seen some 'telephone pole' cocos on the island but this can also be due to mealy bugs.  

My dad actually found a coconut on the ground and grew it from seed for my brother's new house. Its been pot bound for about 7 years with very very lil care. It almost died due to mealy bugs but is now doing much better. Me and my bro will plant it one day. I'll show the pics!

Here are some more coco pics that I took last time the girlfriend visited. Its Horseshoe Bay at night.

Also, I found two nuts on the roadside a couple weeks back. I hear the sloshing sound of a 'good' coconut in both of these. Shoe is 11" for reference.  

Soaked them in water for a day...

Lets see if they'll grow!

[xerophyte_nyc 3]

I was in Bermuda this summer, just 1hr 45min flight from NY.  It takes longer to drive to the Hampton's in traffic!

Many celebs have homes in Bermuda - Michael Douglas lives there, Bloomberg has a home...

Compared to the Caribbean islands, it is much safer, but without "tropical" hot weather all year, and very rare hurricanes.  More expensive too.  We stayed at the Hamilton Princess which is rated 5 stars but I've been to much nicer resorts.  I think that the resorts on Bermuda need upgrading.  Night life is weak, but that's OK, most people come to relax.

Only mode of transportation for tourists is cabs, buses or mopeds.  Car rentals do not exist.  Colorful architecture.  Natives are friendly.

Bermuda is very popular among NYers and other East Coast US cities because of close proximity and excellent golf.  Makes for a quick getaway.  Similar to Marbella and Costa del Sol in Spain - a popular getaway for Brits and Germans.

In the evenings you experience the wonderful, deafening chorus of the tree frogs.  Hibiscus everywhere.

When I was there, I didn't pay too much attention to the palm species, but noticed that the most common were Cocos, Phoenix, Roystonia and Hyophorbes.  The majority of cycads were female.  One of the natives told me that was intentional, to prevent invasion.

[Palm Guy 37]

Hi, Michael:

We are all very grateful for the photos of your fascinating island.  I have questions about your only native palm:  What is the tallest S. bermuda ever observed, and what is the tallest now.  We really appreciate your beautiful thread.

Best Wishes, merrill

Merril,

They don't get very large in height but are generally more robust in comparison to other sabals. They have a nice bluish green to silvery green color. I would say they can get to about 30ft but very slowly. I know of some big individuals on the island and I'll take some pics for ya. Their definitely not the local favorite palm but they can look good if properly cared for.

Cheers,

Mike F

[Palm Guy 37]

Michael,

I forgot to ask - is the entire island more or less residential, or are there parts of the 24 square miles that still has a rural feel/look?

Bo-Göran

Bo, about 30% of the land is protected woodland/undeveloped. The rest is almost entirely residential. The rural parts are littered with roadside patches of Sabals, Livistonas and to a lesser extent Phoenix, Ptychosperma, Roystonea. There are a few marshes, nature reserves and ponds on the islands that resemble the 'untouched' Bermuda, and not to mention the beaches! Will post some pics for ya!

Mike

[DoomsDave 8,781]

(Palm Guy @ Jan. 27 2008,14:57)

QUOTE

young Archontophoenix of some sort...anybody know which one??

going to the parking lot...some young Royals

Kentia I didnt know was there before...it's seeding too...might have to come back soon!

Looks like purpurea . . .